This invention relates to a construction for a refrigerator cabinet, such as domestic refrigerators and freezers, and encompasses a breaker strip to attach the internal liner to the exterior cabinet.
The typical domestic refrigerator or freezer is constructed having an exterior cabinet, generally made of metal, having an open side and a liner, typically made of plastic, adapted to fit within the exterior cabinet and define the interior surfaces of the refrigerator or freezer compartment. The liner is spaced from the exterior cabinet and insulation material is inserted in this space. A breaker strip is utilized to interconnect the front faces of the interior liner and the exterior cabinet and to assist in holding these elements in a spaced relationship until the insulating material can be placed between them.
Many types of breaker strips are known in the art and have various means to engage the inner liner and the exterior cabinet. Typically, these means include forming the breaker strip to engage flanges on the liner and the exterior cabinet. In many cases, however, the engagement between the breaker strip and either the liner or the exterior cabinet does not become secure until the insulation material has been inserted.
Current refrigerator cabinet designs require that the inner liner be considerably distorted in order to insert the flanges of the liner into the mating portion of the exterior cabinet. The distortion of the inner liner can create quality defects in the product, such as kinks and ridges in the plastic liner. This assembly method of the current designs also inhibits optimization of the plastic liner thickness. The distortional stresses placed on the inner liner requires that it be formed of a thicker gauge plastic than would be required if its distortion during the assembly process did not occur.